


The Native and the Englishman

by BiowareManiac



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: F/M, Fluff, I promise this won't hurt too much, adorbs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-27
Updated: 2016-05-27
Packaged: 2018-07-10 12:43:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6985669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BiowareManiac/pseuds/BiowareManiac
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The American Revolution is just around the corner. A mysterious key has led Haytham Kenway, a high-ranking Templar officer across the Atlantic to locate a temple which might just turn the tide for the Templars. But what he finds is far more enchanting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Rain fell heavily from the saddening grey clouds above them. Haytham Kenway clutched a small tribal necklace in his hand; he believed it was the key to his mission. He was following a native woman, Ziio who had led them deep into the dark coniferous forest; her eyes seemed to see everything in the forest, Haytham thought, from the various paths that would any other person astray and never to be found. The forest only seemed to get denser, the path getting harder to find through all of the undergrowth, of course Ziio found this task easy. She waved a bush away with ease, spraying the water from the leaves all over his newly cleaned clothes as it recoiled. He sighed and rolled his eyes, proceeding with a shake of his head. His eyes fell to her hips that swayed as she walked onwards, her furs bouncing gently against her sides. By her side, her hands swung back and forth with every elegant step she took. 

They passed a large conifer and a clearing opened up before them, the mouth to the cave blocked by a strange door made of solid stone. Haytham walked towards the large stone wall that stood between him and the treasure, he walked closer to the wall. It was wrong. The necklace that he held was not the key, nor was it even close. He looked at the keyhole; he would need some sort of sphere-like object to enter this cave. He shook his head and turned slightly towards the mouth of the cave, “it is wrong” he murmured to himself. Ziio sighed and crossed her arms, slouching her posture,  
“You seem disappointed” she muttered mockingly, he turned to her, his eyebrows knitted together.  
“I thought I held the key to something here” he said, disappointment riddled in his words. Ziio shrugged and stepped towards him,  
“This room is all there is” she said as she turned to look for another way in, but at a loss she turned to look at him as he thought. He looked up at the roof before turning around to look at her, “I guess I just expected more” he said with a shrug. He sighed and rotated to look at the strange designs on the wall, he pondered a while at what they might mean. “What do they mean?” He asked her his blue eyes taking in the glowing designs; Ziio took a step closer to him.   
“It tells a story of Lottsitison, who into their world and shaped it for what life might come. She had a hard journey, fraught with great loss and peril.” She murmured, as she stepped to his side, “but she believed in her children and what they might achieve.” He watched her as she put her own hand on the wall, gliding it across the cold stone, her dark brown eyes gazing at the light blue patterns that zig-zagged across the wall. She looked back at him, her large brown eyes looking deeply into his, “And though she is long gone from the physical world, her eyes still watch over us, her ears still hear our words, her hands still guide us” her words came as a whisper as she slid her hand into his, looking up at him once again, “and her love gives us strength.” Haytham looked at her, his eyes full of fondness for this woman, who had helped him,  
“You have shown me great kindness, Ziio. Thank you” he said, his refined British accent was melted caramel through Ziio’s ears, a small smile crept over her lips as she took a step towards him. His eyes locked with hers, he felt his throat starting to dry. “I-I should go-“ he murmured as she wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him into a passionate kiss. 

He did not try to pull away, his head was screaming at him, he was British, she a native. It felt so wrong in his head to be feeling this way with about a Native American, but in his heart he felt an aching need to be close to this woman. Her sun kissed beauty; her strong and powerful personality compelled him to keep kissing her, to feel her close to him. Her kiss became more demanding as her hand reached down to unbutton his stolen red-coat jacket, “I don’t think you need this anymore” she whispered seductively, her fingers played with the buttons of his shirt, undoing them slowly. She looked up at him as she kissed along his jawline, air escape his mouth in a quiet groan, Ziio’s lips traced a path down his neck, over his collar bones and each bit of flesh that was revealed with each button that was undone. His hands rested on her shapely hips and brought them closer together so she could feel the heat that was growing between them. She pulled his jacket and shirt from him and dropped them onto the cavern floor. A moan escaped her lips as Haytham pulled a slim leather cord that hung at her side causing her thick furs to fall to the ground, leaving her standing in nothing but her skin boots and a thin leather strip to cover her breasts. 

Haytham pulled away from the kiss, opening his eyes, allowing his eyes to wander over her magnificent body. He stepped towards her, his hands cupping either side of her flawless face,   
“Ziio, you are so beautiful” he whispered as he leaned down to meet her lips once again, this time his kiss had desire that was growing within him. She ran her hands over his muscular torso, his rippling muscles tensing under her touch. She moaned into the kiss as she reached into his trousers, feeling his hardened member in her hand. He lifted her up so that she could wrap her legs around his waist; she wrapped her arms around his neck. A gasp escaped her lips as she felt the cold of the stone wall against her naked back, Kenway kissed her once more before sliding himself into her moistened centre. 

His lovemaking was lengthy and left Ziio’s body aching. She had fallen asleep on him. She rolled over to find him, but found nothing but the necklace and a ring with a cross embedded in the silver, her face fell. She held the necklace gently and it close to her heart. Ziio stood and put her furs back on, going to the mouth of the cave to see if she could see where he had gone. It was starting to get darker as night drew near, a low moon had risen, and a glistening tear ran down her cheek and along her chin. He had left her alone, anger rose within her as she screamed out to the darkness. She felt something for him, something that she knew was forbidden but she had thought he felt for her. Turning to go back into the cave, she took one last glance into the dimming light, before returning to where they had lain and curled up into his jacket. She would try to find him again soon, but for now she would remember that night forever.


	2. Chapter 2

Smoke rose in wisps from a dying fire from the night before, Ziio wandered back into the small village. Warriors stood at the gates and waved her inside “welcome, Kaniehtí:io” they muttered in their Native language, tired from their night-long watch. She nodded in response to them and walked inside, she headed to her hut where she could wash her face and remember fondly the night before. A small smile played on her lips as the cold water splashed over her face. Under her furs she held his stolen redcoat, she took it out and held it close to her, breathing in his scent as she opened her only wicker basket with a small creak and placed inside with the ring he had left her. She looked at the ring thoughtfully, thinking about the women she had seen in towns who wore rings on their left finger and it seemed to represent something special to them. She kneeled beside the box and picked up the ring between her middle and index finger, she looked at it again wondering what the cross that was engraved in the silver meant. She slid over her left finger, but the ring was too big for her, Haytham’s fingers were larger than hers and she frowned, thinking of how she should wear it. She smiled as she made a thick plait at the front of her hair, entwining her dark hazel hair between her deft fingers, at the end of the plait; she slid the ring over her hair, tying it so that it wouldn’t fall off and be lost. She stood again, feeling her new plait between her fingers as she gathered supplies for her journey. She walked out of her home, the necklace he gave her bounced against her as she walked out into the forest, she needed to find him. 

Sprinting through the snow-crusted branches in winter was Ziio’s favourite pastime, jumping onto the thick branches and feeling like an eagle swooping through the trees. It was here she felt truly free; here she could sit and watch the sun rise or set, or run through the trees until she found a town and she could just watch the ‘civilised’ people do their daily things. She knew he had come from Boston, and there was where she would start. She decided to make a short stop at the cave where she last saw Haytham; ahead she could hear male voices, about three of them. As she moved carefully through the trees towards them, she felt for her knife in case they decided to attack. They stood before the door, muttering to each other, their accents were strange but she heard them mention Kenway. She landed softly in the snow a few metres away from them, they turned to see her, pointing their bayonets at her aggressively “keep movin’ native, this ain’t your business ‘ere” the leader of them uttered at her. She shook her head,   
“Please listen a moment, I heard you speak of Haytham Kenway. I need to find him, it is very important” she said calmly as she reached for her knife. They looked at one another before the main man turned back to her.  
“What d’you want with Kenway?” he asked, raising a brow at her and he gave her a once-over before lowering his bayonet slightly, gesturing the others to do the same.  
“This necklace” she said, lifting the necklace from underneath her furs, “it belongs to him, he left it when I brought him here yesterday” she said as she tucked the necklace back inside again. They instantly relaxed and chuckled to themselves, the end of their bayonets sticking back into the snow. She could see that they were still uneasy about her, and so she was not going to let her guard down. “Where is he?” she persisted, the leader turned his head to look at her.   
“We ain’t tellin’ you nothin’, whore” he muttered as he slid his cutlass from it holder. Ziio rolled her eyes, and pulled an aggressive stance. She knew how to fight, and pretty well too. She pulled her knife from its sheath and rolled the handle in her palm,   
“I will kill you if you do not tell me where he is” she snarled at them, she remembered that she was still within her own hunting territory. The first man lunged at her with his bayonet raised; she stepped out of the way easily, raking her knife down the length of his spine, twisting it into his back. The second man tried to attack her while she was occupied with the first, as he ran at her she unsheathed a hidden knife from her boot and used his momentum against him by pushing him past her into the dead man and repeatedly stabbed him with the smaller knife. Ziio stood up straight and dusted snow from her furs, she glared at the third and final man, he shakily pointed his bayonet at her “now, be a smart Englishman, and tell me where he is” she growled as she walked towards him menacingly, the man dropped his gun and raised his hands above his head. Ziio kicked the gun behind her, towards the two dead men that lay atop each other. “Where is Haytham Kenway?” she repeated as she walked towards the frightened man. She sheathed her smaller knife but still wielded the larger one menacingly, “I’ll give you ten seconds to tell me where he is or I’ll cut your throat and leave you to bleed to death in the snow” she said as she put her knife against her throat, letting the blade cut into his skin slightly. She began to count down from ten, she got to five and his lip started to tremble. Two seconds came and she pressed the knife harder against his skin, thinking that he was a lost cause, “wait! Wait! I’ll tell you!” he blurted as a crimson line of blood ran down over his collarbone, “he is in Boston, having a meeting with the others at the Green Dragon” he said, his breaths coming in short pants as she moved the knife away carefully and sheathed it in her embroidered cover. She nodded in thanks and ran past him through the snow and climbed into a tree, leaning on the tree trunk she thought of him before springing into a sprint through the trees again, bounding from branch to branch. 

The cold wind flew past her face, her cheeks flushed from the cold of the air. She began to sing a song from her village, a song of an eagle soaring through the wind. A large smile spread across her lips as she swan dove into a pile of leaves. She giggled as she clambered out and walked to the river to have a drink, her chest rose and fell as she tried to regain her normal breathing. She stood and looked across the water, Boston was a sea-town, ports were its heart and their boats that carried important trade to and from the people were the blood that made the town successful. She stood and pulled her hood over her head, playing with her necklace between her fingers as she started to jog along the shore, her feet leaving prints in the sand behind her as her hair waved in front of her face. 

The town was alive with people, they were all too busy to pay attention to that fact that they were walking beside a Native. She stuck to alleyways and diving through back-gardens, she asked some friendly looking people the way to the Green Dragon. She found the Green Dragon and went round to the back of the small tavern and looked in through the poorly washed windows, she saw him. He was going to walk out of the door; she had made it just in time. Her heart began to thud loudly against her ribcage; she quickly walked round the side of the building, keeping her back against the wall she peered around to see him. She raised her hands to her mouth and she made a bird call to attract his attention.

Kenway left the old tavern, walking down the stone steps onto the cobbled street; many things had been solved with that meeting. Behind him he heard a strange noise; he turned to see the source of the sound. He saw a woman hiding round the corner of the building, he walked towards her. He jumped the fence at the side of the building to land right in front of her, before her stood Ziio, her oval brown eyes looking up at him with glee. “Ziio?” he asked, incredulous that she was here in Boston seeking him out. Ziio smiled up at him, “what are you doing here?” he asked as he took her hands in his. She stepped closer to him,  
“I am here to see you, after last night I could not just let you walk out of my life” she said softly, her lips caressing his knuckles. He smiled down at her, lifting her chin with his finger and leaned down to kiss her gently.   
“I had hoped to see you again, but I needed to meet my men to talk about Bulldog, the cave. You were asleep when I had to leave, I left the necklace and my ring with you so you’d know that I care for you Ziio” he said softly, “and I do, a great deal” he said as he pulled her close, “I see you’ve utilised the ring” he chuckled as he lifted the thick plait with his ring on. He looked around, “I think I would like to see your world Ziio” he said as he kissed her again, cupping the side of her face with his hand, her face lit up like the morning sky with those words. She looked down at the floor and fiddled with her hands, no Englishman had ever wanted to see her world without wanting to burn it down.  
“I would like that Haytham, why do you want to see my world?” she asked, her coffee-coloured eyes flickering up to look at him. He smiled at her, stroking her cheek with his thumb,   
“Because, I want to know more about you” he said softly, as she took his hand and started to lead him away from the tavern and out of the town. She turned to him,   
“Can you tree-run?” she asked, a small grin playing on her lips. He looked at her with confusion,   
“Tree-run?” he asked as she led them deeper into the forest, she giggled and released his hand, launching herself into the trees. 

She held out her hand and gestured for him to follow, he took it and she taught him how to look for the strong branches to jump to, and to look for the knots in the wood to hold on with. She laughed as Haytham slipped from a low branch and fell into an explosion of snow, she jumped down and landed softly next to him, he lay in the snow pretending to be dead. She pouted before crawling on top of him and kissed him gently, she kissed his nose and his neck, grazing her lips across the small amount of stubble from not shaving. She felt his hands on her waist and gave out a shrill laugh as he flipped her onto her back so he was on top of her, flecks of snow stuck to his hair as he gazed down into her eyes, he noticed her shivering beneath him, “are you cold, Ziio?” Ziio nodded as he sat up and brought her up onto his lap. Realising that they were both soaking, he stood and lifted her with him, he looked around for a place that they could go. He looked at her, “do you want to come and stay the night with me?” he asked serenely, she looked up at him, fear flicked across her eyes,  
“What about the other people?” she asked, “won’t they like me being there, with you?” he shrugged; society did not matter to him at this moment in time. All he wanted was to be curled up with Ziio at his home in Boston.   
“I don’t care what they think, but we should be careful as the soldiers may not be so kind to your presence” he said, his mouth curving into a frown, she stroked his face gently,   
“I have an idea, and if you have a horse we can just ride together” she said with a smile, “or I could race you there by tree and rooftop” she said with a grin as he set her down on her feet. Haytham thought and nodded,   
“I don’t mind, it may be easier for commode if we travel separately” he said as he whistled for his horse, a magnificent bay mustang stallion bounded through the snow towards them, snow flying behind him. He caught the leather reins in his hand as he trotted past, “a race it is then!” he said with a laugh as he mounted his horse and looked down at where Ziio was, but all he saw was the back of her as she sprinted into the branches and disappeared amongst the leaves. He spurred his horse into a canter, having to pace him as the snow was still pretty deep, the horse flicked his legs high to get his legs out of the snow making his gait disjointed and slower than usual. Every now and again he would see glimpses of the back of her as she flew like a bird through the canopy, he chuckled as the snow got thinner as drizzle began to fall from the sky and this lack of snow meant he could spur his horse to run faster, making this a true race now. He needed to make time here; galloping through the town was not an option and so he needed to be fast and that was something he could do on his prize steed. He spurred him forward; the horse shook his head as he picked up the pace, throwing himself over logs and barging through bushes. Above to his left, Haytham could see Ziio sprinting in the trees, he was catching up. As he caught up and overtook her, he laughed and pushed his horse faster “I live in the house five doors up from the Green Dragon, I did not tell you before and that part is pretty important” he shouted back to her before turning and disappearing down the hill. Ziio nodded and changed course, heading straight towards the forested part of town where there were trees that she could hide and climb in. She moved faster, knowing that she would have to keep this pace up if she wanted to beat him on horseback, but she had the advantage in the town as she could still run at this pace over the rooftops if she avoided the guardsmen, but as it had started raining she would have to be careful as it had started to rain and the tiles would slippery. 

Her feet were soft on the tiles of the roof as she sprinted across them, below her she could Haytham running through the crowd. She giggled quietly and leapt between two rooftops, she nimbly ran across a wire to the roof the Green Dragon. She glanced to the side to see where Haytham was, and chuckled to see that he had fallen over due an orphan that had stuck his leg out as he ran past. Ziio continued running and quickly climbed down the floor and ran to the door of Kenway’s house. She leaned on the frame and pulled the hood over her face so she could conceal her identity and help shield herself from the downpour, she watched Haytham as he jogged towards her, knowing that he had lost he took his time in getting to his door. He reached for his key to the door and reached past her to unlock and open the door. She smiled and kissed his cheek briefly before hurrying inside. 

The house was simply designed with simple furniture, it was not what Ziio had expected, and she had sort of expected a grand house with lots of shiny things that she could fawn over. She looked around, it felt homely. Her own home was simple like this one as she mostly spent her time outside hunting or exploring, as she thought about it more, Haytham seemed like a busy man and he probably wouldn’t have spent a lot of time indoors. She turned to look at him with a small smile; water dripped from her furs onto the hardwood floor, Haytham stepped towards her, taking off his jacket and put it on the coat-stand he smiled “let’s get you washed and dried” he said as he took her hand and led her up the stairs and into the clean bathroom. He filled a pot of water and put it over the fire in the fireplace, she started to remove her furs carefully and placed them over the back of a chair, she looked up at him as she shivered. He pulled up a chair and sat, pulling her onto his lap gently to keep her warm. She smiled against him, her shivering stopping as she felt his warmth against her she smiled up at him and kissed his neck. He looked down at her and kissed her softly, putting his arms around her and stroking her naked back. He loved the feeling of her skin, it was beautiful and soft, made supple by her constant exercise and being outdoors. Feeling her skin against him made him feel warm and not so alone anymore. He had feelings for this woman. Beside them the water was heating up nicely, “the water is ready” he said as she shifted off him and stood next to the fire to keep warm, he lifted the pot and poured the water into the tin tub. She climbed in clumsily; Ziio had never been in a bath tub before and so clambered in. Haytham removed his shirt and picked up the sponge, dipping it in the warm water and gently cleaned her skin with it. She closed her eyes and relaxed in the warm water as Haytham washed her, he looked up at her and smiled to see her so relaxed and comfortable. She opened an eye to see why he had paused his washing, he looked back down at the water and looked up at her with his bright blue eyes. He shifted along the bath edge so he could lean over and kissed her gently as the sponge brushed over her breast, grazing her nipple making her intake a sharp breath as she lifted her arm from the water and caressed his face with her hand. He dropped the sponge into the water and wrapped his arms around her, water dripped from her body onto his chest, running down his torso. He lifted her and she wrapped her legs around him, he carried her into his bedroom. He had a beautifully carved four poster bed; he laid her on the feather down mattress and removed his all of his remaining clothes and joined her on the bed, he knelt between her legs and kissed her passionately. His hand drifted down between her legs, feeling her arousal only made him more attracted to her. He gently caressed her, before sliding himself into her gently. 

Haytham made love to her gently and passionately, until they came together in a deep and loving climax. He opened his eyes and looked at her, her face was flushed and she was still recovering from their joining. He pulled himself out of her gently and laid beside her, gazing into her eyes, he brushed her hair out of her face. She shifted closer to him and draped her arms around his neck and kiss him deeply, Haytham looked into her eyes and smiled “Ziio, you are so beautiful” he whispered, “…I think I am in love with you” he said as he stroked her face, Ziio looked at him with surprise, she looked down and smiled to herself,   
“I love you too Haytham” she said as she leaned up and kissed him passionately. He smiled and held her close to him, he kissed her forehead. He wanted what they had to be real, and permanent. The only way to make this possible to marry her, he looked at the ceiling; the church wouldn’t accept a marriage between a Native and a Englishman. The village she came from may have an elder that could marry them; he smiled at the thought; that would make her happy.  
“Ziio, marry me” he whispered to her, “I know it’s a crazy idea, but I love you” he said softly. She looked up at him, her eyes full of both surprise and fear, she didn’t know. The idea of being married was frightening to her, but she wanted to be with him. She furrowed her brows, but then she realised that she may never have this chance again. She looked up at him, “yes, I will marry you” she said before kissing him deeply and enjoying his embrace.


	3. Chapter 3

Haytham slid his hand inside Ziio’s as they walked slowly through the forest; Ziio’s laughter filled the air as they walked through the bushes towards her village, the ground was wet from the melting snow as the weather was beginning to warm again for spring. They had spent a wonderful night together; after their sweet love-making they had fallen asleep curled against one another. It had been the best sleep Ziio had ever had, the bed was so soft much unlike the hard straw mat she was used to sleeping on. She could get used to that, she thought with a smile. She looked up at him fondly, today was the day they were going to ask her elder for her blessing and hopefully to marry them. The first time she had cried happily was when Haytham asked her to marry him, and to get married in her traditional way too. Haytham smiled down at her, kissing her gently as they got closer to her village, her heart pounded against her chest. “How much further Ziio?” he said with a smile, she looked at up at him and nodded up into the trees. She released his hand and started to climb up higher into the tree where the stronger branches were, that was the thing that made Haytham so interested in her; the fact that you never knew what she was going to do next, and everything that she ever did was so graceful and natural to her. He grinned and followed her up the tree; she sat down on a thick branch about halfway up the trunk. The view from here was incredible, you could see so much; in front of her was the lake, to the east lay the mountains and to the west lay dense forest all the way to Denver. She smiled as he took his place beside her,   
“My home is down in that creek” she said a she looked at him, her expression was nervous, a side to her that he had never seen before, “when we get there, expect my people to be hostile, they are only used to seeing what people who look like you do to their hunting territories and to their villages” she said softly, “let me do the talking” she chuckled. He nodded in agreement before wrapping an arm around her shoulder,   
“it’ll be fine, try not to worry” he said with a smile as he pulled her close and kissed her forehead, she leaned on his shoulder and looked out to the lake below them. Ziio looked up at him and kissed him softly, shuffling closer to him. He rested his chin on the top of her head and rubbed her back gently before shakily getting to his feet and balancing on the thick branch, he offered his hand to her as she got to her own feet, taking his hand to balance as she was on the thinner end of the branch, “come, let us go. We should go sooner rather than later” he said with a smile as Ziio bounded past him and hung from a branch below them before landing on the ground. He was still a little slower than she was, and so she waited looking up at him for a few seconds before he joined her on the wet ground. 

It was a short walk to Ziio’s village; there were no paths there as the Natives never stuck to the same route using trees and the other faster ways of getting to different hunting regions, thus never giving away the position of their village to those who weren’t looking hard enough. They walked past the tall wooden wall into the village, the guards raised their spears at them, and she nodded at them to reassure them that Haytham meant no harm. They lowered their spears but their eyes never left him, he nodded at them with a slight smile. Haytham and Ziio walked straight towards the elder tent, when the elder saw Ziio she smiled softly, but as Haytham entered the hut an unsure expression came over her face. “Kaniehtí:io, why have you brought a white man here?” she asked sternly in her native tongue,   
“Elder Polikwaptiwa, I have to ask for your blessing for Haytham and I to marry” she replied softly in the same language as she sat beside the fire, gesturing for Haytham to do the same, “we both understand that this may not have happened before in our history, but we love each other as birds fly through the sky on the wind. Haytham and I have no parents, so we cannot have their blessing ” she pleaded, taking Haytham’s hand in his. The elderly woman stood and circled them, she watched Haytham carefully,   
“I will consult the spirits, only they know the path in which you should follow” she muttered as she lifted some wood from the pile next to where she was sitting and put it on the fire making smoke billow up into the roof, she sat close to the fire and began to chant, her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Haytham went to make sure she was alright but Ziio held him still,   
“Do not disrupt her, she is one with the spirits” she whispered in English, her eyes flicked back to her Elder. The elder woman’s eyes returned to their normal place; a small smile played on her lips as she looked at the pair that sat in front of them,   
“I have consulted with the spirits; they give me permission to bless you. But I must warn you, they foresee pain in the future” she said, Ziio nodded in understanding, “but I give you my blessing” she said as she stood and walked round to Ziio, giving her a hand to her feet, “you my dear must gather corn for the ceremony” she stated, “and he must hunt deer and provide a leg of venison” the elder said as she helped Haytham to his feet, “once this is done I will marry you.” He looked to Ziio as they walked out of the village,   
“What happened in there?” he asked, going over the events that had just passed in his head, he took Ziio’s hand as they started the walk back towards Boston,   
“I asked the Elder of my village for the blessing of our marriage, she consulted with the spirits and granted us blessing. There are just a few things we need to do before we can get married though” she said with a smile, “I need to find a stalk of wheat to represent my being able to look after our home, and you need to hunt a deer and bring it’s leg to her as it represents our tradition of men hunting” she said as she smiled up at him. 

As they walked back to Boston she told him about her clan’s wedding traditions, explaining the ceremony to him. Traditional Native American ceremonies were simple but beautiful; she explained what the meat and the wheat represented, and why the couple would exchange them, giving the meat to the bride meant that the man would protect and feed their family and the giving of wheat to the groom represented that she would be a good housewife and raise his children and look after him. She explained that they would have to be purified in the lake before they married, she looked to him to see how he was taking all of this in, and Ziio thought that she should incorporate his traditions into their marriage. “Haytham, I have a thought” she said with a smile, very proud of her idea, “what if we brought rings into the marriage, but have engravings of animals and wheat on them” she said, his face smiling proudly at her,   
“that sounds like a fantastic idea, I have to go to New York to find a jeweller to do something like that though, and you would have to join me so we could get a ring that fits and will not fall or get caught in a branch” he said as he looked to her, seeing what her reaction was, surprised by her beaming face he had his answer, they would start travelling to New York in the morning.

Once they were back inside his house, she pulled her furs off and pulled a soft blanket around her shoulders that Haytham had bought for her, she walked into the living room and started to light the fire, once it was lit she heard Haytham walking towards her. She turned to look at him; he lifted her up suddenly and held her close “we’re getting married!” He laughed and span her round; she giggled and buried her head in his chest, clinging onto him for dear life as she felt the blanket start to fall down her skin. He stopped and set her down on her feet, still holding her close “I love you Ziio” he whispered into her ear, “to go to New York in the morning, I need to get you a horse, unless you have one” he said as he looked at her whilst he removed his jacket and draped it over the back of a chair, Ziio frowned and shook her head,   
“I do not have one, we always travel by foot as horses take a lot of resources to feed” she said quietly, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment at her disadvantage, he smiled and stroked her cheek,  
“it is alright, there is a good breeder just north of here, we should go now to see if there are any horses that take your fancy, then we can spend time together here” he said with a smile, she nodded with a smile and walked to put her furs back on. He watched her go as he put his jacket on, he felt like he was the luckiest man alive as he watched her; she smiled back at him as they left the house. 

It was a short walk up to the stables, when they got there Haytham greeted the elderly man like a friend, he introduced Ziio and explained that they were going to New York and that she needed a steed to carry her there. The man nodded with a smile, “I have just the mare” he said as he gestured her to follow him, “this is Silver Wind, she is five years old, broken and rides well” he said as he opened the stable door to let Ziio in to see the female horse. The mare was beautiful, she was a dapple grey mare, with bloodlines of mustang and Arabian, she looked strong but had the typical grace of the Arabian. Ziio loved this horse, she looked back to Haytham with a beaming smile and a nod and he chuckled,   
“This one then?” he asked, Ziio replying with an enthusiastic nod and a beaming smile, Haytham turned to the elderly gentleman, “how much is she with tack and stabling alongside mine?” he asked as he untied his coin purse from his belt. The man thought carefully, before looking back to Haytham and Ziio,  
“I’ll sell them to you for twenty pounds for the horse, tack and stabling” he said, it was a good deal and Haytham knew it. He smiled and shook the man’s hand,  
“It’s a deal, we need both horses cleaned and tacked by dawn tomorrow” he stated as he undid the strings on his purse and handed him the money, they exchanged goodbyes and parted ways. 

When they returned to Haytham’s home it was dark and the streets echoed the sound of music from the various pubs in the town, Ziio cooked them a meat stew and made food for the journey to New York in the morning. She joined him in their bedroom upstairs and removed her furs, hanging them in the large wooden wardrobe and sat beside Haytham on the bed who was wearing nothing but his undergarments. He wrapped his arm around her and she looked up at him with her oval brown eyes, “thank you for the horse, I will treasure her for the rest of my life” she said fondly, as she shuffled closer to him, he kissed the top of her head,   
“It is alright, it is a gift” he said as stroked her arm gently before shuffling down the bed, “let’s go to sleep, we’ll be up early tomorrow” he said as she joined him. She curled up into him; he spooned behind her and held her close as they drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Pretty much all of the snow had melted by the morning, the air was fresh and crisp and the sun began to try and poke it's light through through the thin, wispy clouds. Ziio looked up at the sky as Haytham led her to the stables where they would proceed to New York by horseback. She looked at her horse, she truly was an amazing specimen. Fit and agile, sturdy and beautiful to look at, Haytham had often thought that this mare was a perfect representation of her, he chuckled at the thought as he led his own black mustang from his stable. Ziio followed suit, bringing her horse, Silver Wind out into the yard, tying her to a post in the middle so she could tack her up and put her supplies and weapons onto her strong back. Haytham was checking over his horse carefully, looking for any injuries and checking the straps to make sure that there would be no saddle slips during the ride to the capital city of this strange and divided nation. Ziio looks at her horse, realising that she did not know to check the straps if they were safe or where to look for any lumps and bumps on her horse. She looked at her horse befuddled, “Haytham, would you look over Silver please, I do not know how to make sure of these things” she asked him, her face blushing slightly at her disadvantage. He looked up and nodded, he wandered over to her, looking over her horse and checking all of the various straps, he had to loosen the throatlash as it was too tight and would have strangled Silver when they had picked up the pace. He nodded,  
“she is as safe as houses, in perfect condition. When you do up the bridle, make sure you can at least fit three fingers between the leather and her skin, we wouldn't want her to be strangled, now do we?” he said with a chuckle before kissing her gently on the lips, “we should head off now, dawn is fast approaching and we need to be in New York by at least the eve” he said as he walked quickly back to his horse. They mounted their horses and walked briskly out of the stables, once they had gone past the frontier at the edge of the city, they broke into a swift canter, Silver kept pace easily with the midnight-coloured stallion beside her. Her Arabian descent made her swift like a bird through the forest that lay between them and their destination. When the ground had evened out and the trees had started to thin as they neared the coast, they picked up the pace, pushing the horses into an easy gallop.

The ride was long, saddle sores were starting to appear on Ziio's tender thighs from the tough saddle leather that her skin was accustomed to. She cursed under her breath in her native language with every stride that Silver took, the mare could feel her discomfort and pain and slowed down, trying to make her strides as smooth as possible. Ziio patted her neck to show her appreciation, Haytham noticed the mare slowing and brought his stallion to a steady walk, “are you feeling alright, my love?” he asked with genuine concern, she looked at him, her chestnut eyes almost brimming with tears as she tried to hold them back. He nodded and pulled his horse off the track and into a clearing, he dismounted and tied his horse to a nearby tree, doing the same with Ziio's horse. He helped her dismount and sat her on the ground, “if you were feeling sore you should have said” he said softly as he sat beside her and kissed her forehead. She nodded,  
“I know, I just did not want to hinder us” she muttered, “I bought cream from a store in Boston that may be able to help with this” she said, wincing as she nodded to the first saddlebag, Haytham nodded and walked over to her mare, carefully taking out the cream, opening it and taking a sniff. He recoiled from it, screwing up his face and swiftly replaced the lid,  
“what in heavens name is that?” he exclaimed as he handed to it to her. She chuckled, “it contains raspberry with some oil that is used specifically to help heal wounds” she said with a smile, “could you put it on for me please?” she asked as she looked up at him with her brown eyes, he sighed before he took it back and opened the lid,  
“where are the sores?” he asked, she raised her brow,  
“where do you usually get saddle sores Haytham?” she asked sarcastically, he sighed again and lifted the bottom of her skirt to reveal her extremely red and painful looking thighs, he frowned and gently began to rub the cream into her thighs, she hissed as the cool viscous substance made her skin sting. He finished and placed the lid back on the tub and put it back in her saddlebag, he returned to her side and sat down. They remained there until the cream had taken effect and Ziio felt able to re-mount her mare. She had tied bandages around her thighs to prevent any further damage, and also so that she could walk when she got to New York.

Once they had gotten back onto the road, they had reached New York in no time. They trotted into the town, the horse's hooves clopped on the freshly rained-on, cobbled road, they stopped and tied their horses to a post in front of the jewellers. He held her hand and squeezed it before opening the door and leading them inside. A small bell jingled above them and an elderly man with small circular glasses appeared before them, “hello there, how can I help you?” he asked, his voice was kind and had a tinge of Scottish, which made Ziio smile. Haytham stepped forward, releasing Ziio's hand, “we need two rings made for us, we are to wed and it is very important that we get this right and fast and I heard from many people down in Boston that you were the man for the job” he said, the elderly man nodded and pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose,  
“I was not aware that my work had reached Boston, but yes I am the best jeweller in New York” he said, “what type of rings are we talking about?” he asked bluntly, Haytham produced a piece of paper that included designs that Ziio and himself had created. For Ziio they wanted a ring made from silver, a stag head to be at the front to represent the leg of venison that would have been presented to her, on the inside would be written; 'nacacijin isdzan' meaning 'faithful woman' , and for Haytham a similar ring but the band was thicker and would have a piece of embalmed wheat so that it wouldn't rot interwoven into the silver, on the inside of this band would be written 'wakan tanan kici un' meaning 'May the Great Spirit bless you'. The elderly man nodded, “I can have those made for you within a week” he said, “but it'll cost you for the resources you want and the speed in which I'll have to work” he said, Haytham nodded,  
“Money is not the problem, whether you can do this well and quickly, is” he muttered at him. The elderly man nodded and took the page,  
“I shall get to it right away” he said as he backed away into the back of the store. Haytham nodded and Ziio made their way back out of the shop and made their way to the nearest inn, leading their horses with their things.

They walked to an inn called the 'White Stag', a fitting name they thought. Haytham offered his arm to her, she took it gratefully. They led the horses into the stables, he tossed a gold coin to the stable boy, “make sure they're looked after, boy, water and oats” he said with a smile as he handed the young boy the reins to the horses. They walked inside and paid the inn-keeper for their room and went up the creaky wooden stairs and into their room. They were exhausted, riding from dawn until dusk was tough on the body. Ziio went to run a bath for them, the hot water mixing with some relaxing oils she had brought with them, guessing that they would be sore and aching by the time they had got to New York. While she was waiting for the bath to run she removed her dusty clothing, tossing them onto the floor and sitting on a chair so she could check to see whether her sores had become infected or not, she was happy to see that they hadn't but removed the bandages and applied some more cream. She heard Haytham enter the room, she looked round and saw that he was wearing nothing but his undergarments, she grinned and leaned up as he bent down to kiss her. He rubbed her shoulders gently, caressing her tense muscles, “how are you feeling now my dear?” he whispered into her ear, feeling his warm, tantalising breath made her skin come alight.  
“I'm fine, just need to relax and get clean” she said with a smile as she reached up and covered his hand with hers as she leaned forward to turn off the old copper taps. She stood from the chair, her legs slightly apart so that they didn't touch and climbed into the tub. He took her seat on the chair, and handed her the sponge, she took it from him and began to clean herself, paying special attention to her tender thighs. She giggled and chatted to Haytham while she did so, he went and grabbed her a towel as she stood up and stepped out of the bath, her skin dripped wet onto the floor. She smiled up at him as he wrapped the towel around her, he wrapped his strong arms around her and leant down to kiss her gently before lifting her off her feet and carrying her to the large wooden double bed they had rented. He sat on the edge of the mattress with her on his lap, she cupped the side of his face with her hand as she looked up at him with her tired, and yet beautiful hazel-brown eyes and reached up to kiss him once again. He smiled and held her close, looking deeply into her eyes, “I love you Ziio, I really do” he said passionately, making sure that he put emotion into every word, she looked up at him with a smile,  
“I love you too, Haytham. I want us to spend the rest of our lives together, the way we want to live it” she said with a smile. He laid her on the bed next to him, removing the last of his clothes and joined her on the bed. He wrapped his strong arms around her, gazing into her tired eyes as they began to slowly close her eyes and fell into a deep slumber. Haytham watched with a smile, feeling his own eyes beginning to feel heavy as he himself began to fall asleep with Ziio in his arms.


	5. Chapter 5

They decided to stay in New York for the week, it had rained most days so they mostly stayed in different taverns around the city, mostly for Ziio, as she had never seen a city of such a size as this. Her hazel-brown eyes taking in as much as she could, the city was huge, full of people from different places. She was happy that only a few people looked at her with disdain, the rest just ignored them and went on their way. Haytham smiled to himself as he watched her wonder-filled eyes as they took in the civilisation that she had never seen before. It filled him with pride when he felt her small hand curl around his arm as they walked, he smiled to himself and covered her hand with his and gave it a small squeeze. 

A week had passed since they arrived in the capital and it was time to see the jeweller about the rings they had given him to craft. They were both bubbling with excitement, their marriage was so close they could almost touch it, even when they were astride their horses, the horses seemed to be a little more skittery than usual. Ziio's laughter filled the busy morning air as she trotted beside Haytham down a cobbled street. He chuckled as their conversation carried them to the door of the jewellers, dismounting quickly and hurrying inside to see what the kind man had made for them. Ziio walked beside him as they entered, Haytham rang the bell and the elderly man they had met before appeared from the back of the store. “Good morning Mr. Kenway, I shall be right with you, with your rings” he muttered distractedly as he walked into another room and reappeared with the rings. He had built them a small box to the keep the rings safe in, he handed them to Haytham, his eyes scanned over the well-crafted box and gave it to Ziio gently,  
“I think you should be the first one to see them my love” he said softly, as his eyes met with Ziio's, she could see the anticipation in his eyes. She smiled up at him reassuringly, these rings were so important to them both, they had to be perfect. She inhaled deeply and slowly opened the box the two rings sat beautifully in red velvet, she gasped, they were stunningly perfect,   
“Haytham, they're...they're perfect” she stammered, her eyes watering as she turned the box to show him, he stared in awe at the craftsmanship. They were exactly as he imagined them, the stag and the wheat sitting perfectly in the white gold. Kenway pulled Ziio into a tight embrace, kissing the top of her head gently, the elderly man behind the counter cleared his throat and Haytham released her reluctantly and turned to him.  
“These rings are examples of true craftsmanship, they are exactly what we wanted, we thank you. How much do I owe you, friend?” he asked, reaching for his coin purse. The man looked at the design papers Kenway had given him,  
“for the two intricate designs and the box, I would charge one hundred pounds” he said, Kenway nodded and counted out the money for the rings. The man took the money and smiled at them both, “pleasure to do business with a pair of such nice people, may your future lead to warm sands” he said with a smile before returning to the back of the store. 

Haytham and Ziio left the store hand in hand, he helped her back up into her saddle,   
“I love you Kenway” she said as she looked down at him with a loving smile, he rested a hand on her thigh,   
“I love you too Ziio, you are the beautiful moon to my small and shining stars. I cannot wait till you are mine to have forever” he said as she leaned down to kiss him gently on the lips. She gazed into his eyes as their lips parted, she smiled and straightened up in the saddle, she gathered up the reins in her hands and waited for Haytham to mount his horse and nudged Silver Wind into a steady walk towards the tavern they were staying in. It was quiet on the walk back, with afternoon approaching, the streets were still, only a few people were wandering around the stores gathering groceries. They walked their horses into the stables and paid the young stableboy a few shillings for the livery. Haytham wrapped his arms around her once they were both dismounted and held her there for a few minutes, Ziio buried her face into his neck and closed her eyes. They walked inside, the tavern, hand in hand, and up to their room and sat next to each other on the bed.   
“I can't wait to go home now, the city is nice but I miss my village” Ziio said quietly as she looked up at him, he nodded,   
“I agree, Boston is much nicer than here” he said with a smile, “we can head home tomorrow if you want, we shouldn't go now, I don't want to ride through the dark for such a long way” he said softly. Ziio nodded in agreement,   
“that sounds good to me” she said with a smile before kissing him gently, “tomorrow we ride for home” she said as she nuzzled into his shoulders.  
“Yes, yes we are, and what a joyous that moment that will be” he chuckled as he held her close.


	6. Chapter 6

They arrived in Boston in the early afternoon, Ziio agreed to stay with Haytham for the night before returning to her people to arrange the marriage. As the wintry morning sun peeking its shining light over the horizon of the sea, Ziio felt a wave of dread wash over her as she knew she would have to leave Haytham. They had spent so much time together over the past few weeks, she had grown accustomed to his presence and the thought of leaving him made her feel like crying. But she knew she had to put on a brave face, being alone was something she knew she would have to bear with, Haytham's job with the Templars meant that they were never meant to be together and so they had to keep their relationship secret from them. She knew the reason well, the natives here were allied with the Assassins guild, they helped her people in many ways, and she would definitely encourage her children to follow their way of life. 

She sighed and sat up, looking to Haytham who was still sleeping softly beside her, his arm draped over her stomach protectively. She smiled fondly at him, her heart swelled as her eyes scanned over his muscular body and that familiar heat in her centre returned. She closed her eyes and relived their night in the cave, feeling his hands run over her body, his eyes devouring her beauty with a hungry stare. It made her feel wanted, and that was something that made her happy. Her breathing hitched as she felt Haytham awaken, his eyes meeting hers in a sleepy stare, he smiled up at her, “good morning my love, a shilling for your thoughts?” he asked, his interest making her smile broadly,   
“I was thinking of the first night we slept together under the stars” she said, her smile turning into a playful grin. She could see the pent-up lust building up inside him, they hadn't had sex since before they were in New York and they were both feeling needy this morning. “I was thinking how wonderful it was, and how wonderful you were” she said with a grin as he lifted himself onto his hands so he was above her, his lustful stare gazing into her hazel-brown eyes, colour flushed into her face,   
“do you want me to do it again Ziio” he breathed heavily, she nodded and reached up to kiss him, her lips soft against his. He parted their lips with his tongue, she found his tongue with hers and they entwined, their kiss become more heated with every second that passed. He entwined his hands in hers above her head, holding her in place as his lips began a hot trail down her neck, over her collarbone, kissing every inch of skin, “don't move your hands Ziio” he said as he released them, his lips brushing against her skin, making the heat that was growing between her legs becoming almost unbearable, she writhed underneath him as she breathed his name. He chuckled and began to kiss her right breast, not leaving a single centimetre of skin without his loving kisses. As his lips moved over her nipple she let out a loud moan,   
“Haytham please, I need you, please” she moaned, her back arching up into him. He leaned down and kissed her stomach,   
“As you command, my love” he whispered against her skin, reaching down to make sure his own tool of pleasure was ready for her, he moved his hand from the base of his member, along the length of it and over the head. He groaned and settled his hips against her, his lengthy member resting against her, he adjusted himself and thrust himself into her gently, knowing that the ride between Boston and New York had been tough on her soft skin. He rocked against her gently, he rested down on his elbows and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and kissed her gently as he moved himself in slow and long thrusts. She moaned against him in time with every thrust, she looked up at him and kissed him back deeply. As he felt her readiness, he began to move faster, his thrusts becoming needier, she started to grind her hips against him. She clung to him feeling herself losing control. About to hurl herself off a cliff with Haytham, he panted against her, she groaned as she got closer to her climax, Haytham falling with her. They came together, merging two souls in one for a split second as he filled her being. 

Ziio curled into Haytham, he wrapped himself around her and they fell into a content and brief slumber. When they awoke, Haytham said to Ziio that he wanted to join in her trek to her village, she brimmed with joy at the thought of not leaving him. She nodded excitedly as she gathered a few supplies for the relatively short journey to her camp. 

They set out, joining hand in hand, walking through the pleasant forest to her first home to determine their future. She smiled the entire walk there, as they walked in she smiled and nodded to the guardsmen of her village as they walked inside. They walked directly to the Elder's tent, her camp fire already lit, keeping her small hope nice and warm. The elderly woman turned to face them, “Ziio, you have returned” she said in their native tongue, her voice having a slight hint of surprise,   
“Elder Polikwaptiwa, we have the venison and the wheat, we are ready” Ziio said to her hesitantly in their native tongue, the woman nodded.   
“I cannot today my dear, as you know Dowanhowee is birthing her fourth child soon and so I must wait for that. You shall stay here for the time being if you want me to marry you, so that when her boy is born we can marry you both” she said, Ziio nodded.  
“Very well, we shall be patient” she said in English, turning to Haytham as they walked out of her tent, “she is busy at the moment, but when this matter is solved, we can be married” she said with an impatient smile. He nodded, “if you wish we can get a mattress to sleep on? My mat is not something I wish to sleep on again” Ziio murmured, he nodded.   
“I shall send for one, I don't want to miss a thing” he said, as he followed her to her tent, it was small and a single straw mat with furs was all that she owned. He looked around, and the realisation of what her world was actually like hit him like a brick wall. Their people were so poor, but that was mainly due to the prejudice from his own people, and the stubbornness of hers. He took a seat beside her on the mat and wrapped an arm around her, “It will be fine, once we are married we can live together at my house in Boston” he said, she nodded and looked up at him,   
“I know, I just hope that we can get married sooner rather than later” she said with a smile as she looked up at him. He smiled at her,  
“I would wait forever if it meant I could marry you, Ziio” he said as he kissed her gently and held her close to him.


	7. Chapter 7

The small collection of people that Haytham had sent to bring him and Ziio a mattress had not taken long before they arrived at her camp. The guards refused entrance to them at first, so Ziio and Haytham had to carry them in themselves. Once it was in her tent, they sank into it gratefully, it was these things that Haytham had always taken for granted. His family had always been wealthy and so sleeping on a mattress was a given, but as he looked around he realised that this was probably all she had ever known. He frowned, how could anybody be content with this way of life? Scrounging on the bare minimum, on the brink of starvation at all times. He looked to her, she was laying on her back, her eyes closed but he knew she was awake. He smiled at her, it was women like her who kept people going. She was strong-willed and determined, all admirable qualities, all things he loved about her. He returned his gaze to outside of her tent again, he watched as the children played outside, giggling to themselves as they created games. He smiled, maybe it would be better for Ziio to raise children here, they would learn to be as hard-working and dedicated as she was and how the rest of her people were. He nodded to himself, in his world the richer children were spoiled and didn't even know how to do a hard day’s work.

The Elder of her tribe walked to entrance of her tent, she looked to him and then to Ziio, “Kaniehtí:io, I am ready” she muttered, Ziio's eyes opened and she sat up to look up at her,   
“we are ready too” she said as she stood up to greet her, her head bowing in respect. Haytham stood and helped Ziio to her feet. She took his hand as they left the tent. 

It was a beautiful day, it was still early and the morning sun was making the dew on the grass turn to condensation and created a mist hanging low around the roots of the trees. The village was buzzing with life, the various workers getting to their jobs for the day. Ziio turned to Haytham, “it is customary that I am readied by my friends and siblings, I have assigned some of our clans wisest warriors to prepare you and give you a run-down of what will be happening today” she giggled as a group of young women came and took her away by the arms into a tent on the other side of the camp. Haytham was then left on his own with a group of men, he looked at them at them all individually. The one who was stood in front of him was about a foot taller than he was, his steely brown eyes watching him carefully, Haytham held his gaze,   
“Greetings, I am Haytham, you are?” he asked, folding his arms over his chest. The male shifted into a slouched position, he turned to walk away and gestured for him to follow and Haytham fell into step behind him and followed him to a larger tent. He held open the flap of leather. Inside there was a traditional outfit folded carefully, the large man pointed to it,   
“Kaniehtí:io made this for you” he said, his words thickened by his accent, “it is what you will wear” he stated, “take off fancy dress” he demanded as he gestured to his clothes. Haytham frowned and began to remove his clothing and started to put on his new, handmade wedding outfit. It fit perfectly, Ziio was always good at this kind of thing he thought, she had made them a fur rug from various animals that she had hunted herself. He ran his hand over the pale leather, it was smooth and supple, it had obviously been tended to for quite some time. It had blue and red stripes going from his breastbone out to his shoulder, her craftsmanship was astounding. He looked up at the large man who was smirking down at him “Kaniehtí:io spent many weeks to make that garment perfect, she cares for you. Do not let her down, she has sacrificed a lot of things to be with you” he muttered as he folded Haytham's clothes, “I am her cousin, Makya. I am the lead hunter and the protector of our village” he said, Haytham studied his face. He was obviously a person who was very close to Ziio,   
“I promise to keep her safe Makya, she is the love of my life and I would give mine to keep her safe” he said seriously, he thought it touching that she had so many people that cared for her, especially when he had none. He barely knew his father, and his mother died early on in his life. “I am ready” he said as he took the two rings from his coat pocket and walked outside, he was amazed with the preparations they had made in such a short time, there were flower walkways and reed arches to guide him and Ziio to the place where they were to be married. The pathway led Haytham and Makya to a clearing, in middle a deep pool shimmered in the midday sun. The Elder stood under a young oak tree holding a thick, old-looking book. She looked up as he approached,   
“Ziio's handwork is beautiful, she has done a good job” she said as she looked him over. A large smile spread over his face, it was happening, he was marrying Ziio, the young, wise and beautiful Ziio. He felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest, he heard a faint singing behind him, he turned to see Ziio leading four girls down the pathway towards him. His mouth fell open, she wore a long white dress, an embroidered leather band went across her stomach, around her neck hung a necklace made of beads and shells. Her eyes came up to meet his, a small smile burst over her perfect lips, Haytham felt like he was in a dream. She kept walking until she was beside him, he took her hand and squeezed it gently. They both looked at the elderly woman before them, “I understand you want some of the civilised customs from your own marriages, so I will read out our prayer and you will exchange rings in your own way” she muttered,   
“Now you will feel no rain,   
For each of you will be shelter to the other.  
Now you will feel no cold,  
For each of you will be warmth to the other.  
Now there is no more loneliness,  
For each of you will be companion to the other.  
Now you are two bodies,  
But there is only one life before you.  
Go now to your dwelling place  
To enter into the days of your togetherness  
And may your days be good and long upon the earth” she said, her voice soft and remembering, Haytham turned to Ziio,  
“Ziio, you are the light of my life, without you my life is dark and shadow, if you will have me I will look after you and keep you safe for the rest of our days” he said, taking her hand and placing the ring over her wedding finger,   
“Haytham, my husband, at all times I shall fill our hearts with courage and strength. In your happiness I shall rejoice. May the stars bless you and our future, for all of our days” she said as she took the ring from Haytham and gently placed the ring on his finger. She gazed into his eyes, her own full of love and admiration for him. They peeled themselves away from each other and turned to the Elder,   
“with my position comes the authority to grant your marriage to one another, may the stars and gods above watch over your marriage and bring you good fortune” she said with a smile, before stepping past them. Haytham took Ziio up in her arms and kissed her passionately, holding her close. He couldn't believe she was his, they were going to have a great life together, he knew it. He opened his eyes to prove to himself that this was really happening, and when he did he saw a small tear running down her cheek. He smiled and pulled away from her kiss,   
“Ziio”, he whispered, “I love you so much, and I will do for the rest of my life” he said softly as her held her tightly, “now, let's celebrate”


End file.
